Lyons officials: 'Stay out of town'

Public safety biggest concern

A line of cars damaged by floodwater is seen Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, in Lyons.
(Matthew Jonas/Times-Call)

LYONS -- Public safety is the biggest concern of officials in Lyons, where massive flooding has wiped out virtually all utilities.

The message from town administrator Victoria Simonsen on Monday was: "Stay out of town."

Flooding shut down Lyons' water, wastewater, electric and gas services, and it could be months before they are restored, town officials said. This creates a hazard for people who remain in town.

"We have major concerns for public health and safety," said Simonsen, who led a media tour of Lyons on Monday afternoon.

Part of a historic pavilion is seen destroyed by floodwater in Meadow Park, on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, in Lyons.
(Matthew Jonas/Times-Call)

The town had no known fatalities as of Monday. It was not clear how many people had chosen to reject a voluntary evacuation notice and stay in Lyons, Simonsen said. Since flooding started last week, administrators began conducting a daily community meeting at 9 a.m. in Sandstone Park. About 500 people showed up Friday. Only about 15 showed up Monday. But officials do not know how many people actually evacuated the town.

"We still have numerous people unaccounted for in the community," Simonsen said. "All of those people are very isolated."

Those who remain are instructed not to use their toilets and to relieve themselves using sanitary camping-style methods.

Law enforcement and National Guard personnel were stationed at road entrances to town.

"All access in and out of Lyons is restricted," Simonsen said.

The Second Avenue and McConnell Drive bridges were destroyed, and three other bridges were compromised. Town Hall, at 432 Fifth Ave., was flooded and uninhabitable, and Lyons Elementary School was designated as the temporary town hall. The town's public works building is "hanging" over running water, Simonsen said. Residents can pick up P.O. box mail at the post office at 201 Coffman St. in Longmont, but there was not yet a plan for Lyons' delivered mail.

An overturned Subaru is seen in the front yard of a home in Lyons on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013.
(Matthew Jonas/Times-Call)

"They did tell us this is the worst insurance claim they've ever dealt with -- worse than Windsor," Simonsen said, referring to the 2008 tornado damage.

The town's annual general fund is only about $1 million. Recovery is expected to run into the tens of millions of dollars.

Looting and vandalism in Lyons are a concern. A local church was vandalized, Simonsen said, and on Monday morning she requested that law enforcement boost security based on suspicions of looting. Looting was reported to Boulder County authorities about 5 p.m. Monday, and deputies were dispatched to investigate, according to Liz Donaghey, spokeswoman for the Boulder County Office of Emergency Management.

Meadow Park, on the west side of town, was one of the worst-hit areas. The town late last month bought property near the park, including a home, which was in the town's possession for 10 days before flooding washed it away.

"We haven't found it yet," she said.

Other structures in town seem to have simply disappeared.

"There are houses that are gone," said Tony Priborsky, who lives in the Eagle Canyon subdivision. "Not gone like destroyed. Gone as in missing."

Wayward propane tanks floating down rushing streams have become a hazard. They have occasionally hit bridges and exploded, Simonsen said.

Waterways through Lyons in many places have either changed shape or cut new channels where none existed before.

A power pole and lines are seen in the St. Vrain River on Monday off Colo. Highway 66 in Lyons. Power is out for much of Lyons.
(Matthew Jonas/Times-Call)

The Planet Bluegrass ranch, which sits on the St. Vrain River northwest of downtown and is the site of the RockyGrass bluegrass festival and Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, was completely submerged at one point and suffered extensive damage. On Monday a new river was running in front of the main stage where only last month festivalgoers crowded to watch world-class performers.

Planet Bluegrass owner Craig Ferguson exemplified an optimism that ran through many parts of the Lyons community. He bought a backhoe Monday morning and was already at work cleaning up the Planet Bluegrass property, which also serves as his home. He believed he could redirect the water that was flowing in front of the stage, and his initial assessment was that most structures on the ranch, including the main stage and his residence, had withstood the flooding. The Planet's slate of fall concerts and events are canceled, but asked what he'd tell fans wondering about next year, Ferguson said, "I'd get your tickets early."

Arn Hayden was grilling a steak on his porch on Third Avenue on Monday afternoon. It was an incongruous sight. One block north was the bustle of official personnel at the fire station and one block south was destruction, where floodwaters had created waves days earlier, he said.

His main purpose in returning home was to collect his passport, and he didn't plan on staying. He was also preparing to temporarily move his healthy snack food business, SolBites, to Longmont.

Priborsky, on the other hand, planned to stay in his Eagle Canyon home, which sits up on a hill and was not flooded. If utilities are restored within weeks, he thinks he can stick it out. If it drags on longer, he expects to have to leave town, knowing that once he does he can't come back until authorities lift entrance restrictions.

Dawn Weller, who sits on the town Board of Trustees, said she was amazed at how members of the community have come together.

"We care about each other," she said. "Who would ever know how much until this happens. Now we know."

Mayor Julie Van Domelen was traveling in Africa when the flooding began. She is trying to return to Lyons but was stuck in Nairobi, Kenya, on Monday, said her husband, Joseph Lekarczyk.

A Lyons recovery fund has been established, Lekarczyk said, at lyonscf.org.